A windy Northumberland

Last week was the school half term for our grandsons so we  gathered all the clan together and headed North to one of our favourite spots on earth, Beadnall on the Northumberland coast. Being a gang of seven it was no good renting a cosy two bed roses by the door cottage so Chris had rented a modern four bedroom house five minutes walk from the beech. Our first morning was spent on the sands where we could watch Sanderling scuttling along the waters edge and because there were no loose dogs and very few walkers on the beech they seemed quite happy to come within a hundred yards or so of us. The very small harbour was dry at low tide and Redshank and Dunlin were feeding in there. The following day we drove down to Low Hauxley a local Wildlife Trust reserve where the local volunteers were so helpful with our three youngsters and their questions they deserve a medal. The winds were getting so strong during the week we called off our visit to Lindisfarne as the water was blowing over the causeway even at low tide and the sand was also obscuring the road. One day Chris and myself tried sea watching off Stag Rocks and Budle Bay but it was hard keeping the scopes steady but we got Purple Sandpiper and Turnstones. On a visit to Seahouses Harbour we saw two Great Black Backed Gulls alonside male Eiders which really showed how large the gulls are. It was also interesting seeing the tour boats out of the water for their winter overhaul, there was no signs about future boat trips after the dispute last year so we don't know what is happening there. On our last day it was calm so we walked over the fields behind the dunes and saw our first Skylarks of the year.  Our daughter must have had a brain storm or something as she had two dips in the sea and two of her couch to five k runs, don't know where she gets these daft ideas from !! A great week now we are looking for the little two bed cottage for Chris and myself to go for the Terns.